And Then
by TunaForDesert
Summary: Akashi ponders about the wonder of one Sawada Tsunayoshi, and still does even after ten years later since their first meeting.


I do not own KHR or KNB.

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He was….plain.

That was Akashi Seijuro's first impression of Sawada Tsunayoshi. Maybe plain was not the right word. True, while Sawada was….fairly anything but eye-catching, but there was something else about him that made Akashi…what was the word? Interested? Intrigued? Well, whatever that was, Akashi was sure there must be something about Sawada Tsunayoshi that kept him in Akashi's mind for more than five minutes, just like Tetsuya.

Their first meeting was not the normal one. Sawada had asked Akashi if he'd accidentally took the book Sawada had left on the library table. And let's say that did not end well. After all, Akashi was never fond of being accused of (or anything close to it). The second time was during a basketball practice. Akashi had wondered why he'd never seen the boy during practice weeks before. Or maybe he had but brushed it off since Sawada was…too plain.

Wait, that was the wrong word again. Akashi had noticed something about Sawada that everybody seemed to brush off. The shorter boy had the most adorable 'bed-hair' that was wilder than Tetsuya's real bed-hair. And that was saying something since Tetsuya's was the most unearthly hair Akashi had seen in his short life. His skin was lightly porcelain, like the high-paid Chinese antic vase. His eyes, oh yes, his eyes was probably the most attractive about his physical features.

The unique hue, from lighter to darker, was the hugest and most adorable doe eyes. It's impossible for a high-schooler to have such adorable baby eyes. And the stubborn baby fat really made him look like a baby sometimes, especially if he got tears on his eyes. His voice….that's another unearthly fact about him. It's not possible for someone of his age to have that feminine soft voice. Akashi was sure if Sawada practice to soften his voice and use it like a girl….

Akashi was one who faces everything with concrete fact, to avoid unneeded problems. But Sawada seemed to defy everything that Akashi had thought of him. There was also that fact. Why did Sawada join basketball? He did not seem like the athletic type. He's got no muscle at all. The health check proved it to him. Sawada was only 45 kilogram, an ideal weight for a girl. And only 160 cm. Even Tetsuya was higher than him. So why basketball?

And so, a few months after observing Sawada's athletic skills (and others that were best not to mention to avoid one being killed), Akashi caught a few suspicious rumours that had been circulating around the second years and third years, about an amazing freshman. Apparently, this guy was like Ryouta once upon a long time ago. He bested almost everyone in sports clubs during his middle school. At first he does not look much, what with being looking almost breakable, but when he gets serious and switch into his 'demon-mode', everything (almost literally) would be blown away.

They said he's been scouted by Rakuzan because of his monster-like strength and amazing observation skills, but the freshman suddenly disappeared just after the first week of school. Or what rumours had claimed. Akashi had talked over this with his three upperclassmen, but even they had no idea who the freshman was. According to the talk, the freshman couldn't find any challenge in every sport he had tried. Of course, there were others that could match him evenly, but then the freshman claimed that he'd never find the passion.

Akashi understood that perfectly. The famous freshman was somewhat like Daiki and even Ryouta, and yet so different. Daiki loved basketball, had the burning passion once upon a time, and upon finding no rival that could bring the best of him, Daiki became bored. And the brightly burning passion simply died out because there was no gas that could keep it going. The freshman had yet to find the right sport for him, just like Ryouta years ago. He had played dozens of sports, and could best everyone in the field. Because of that, because he could not find a worthy rival, he could not love the sport.

Akashi wanted to meet this freshman, and asked him if he had played basketball. Perhaps, this time Akashi would become Tetsuya and this mysterious person would be Ryouta all over again. Akashi found himself wanting to plant the seed, and watch the growing love the person could perhaps harvest fruit from. Akashi wanted the person to _love_ basketball. Of course, it would be for his own amusement and benefit only.

When he fished around for information about the person, all he could gather was the freshman had the most beautiful orange coloured eyes that were not possible for a human to possess. And everything about him was just simply breath-taking. Some girls described him as the dreamy type, with gentlemanly attitude that was as graceful as the sakura petals; he was everything a girl could've wanted.

Akashi found that amusing. Somehow, maybe this person was different than anyone he'd ever met altogether. The redhead simply could not wait any longer. After all, when the ex-captain of Teiko was agitated, he would take drastic measure. And that would not end well, especially when there was no Shintarou or Tetsuya around to stop him.

Surprisingly, Akashi did not have to wait long.

He was taking a casual night out, strolling down the street before his feet moved by themselves to the nearby basketball street court. Instinct, Akashi supposed. When he landed his hetero coloured eyes on the person on the court, his breath almost stopped. All he could think about was how inhuman those orange blazing eyes seemed. It was dark, so Akashi could not see the person clearly. But even in that condition Akashi's Emperor Eyes could almost not able to comprehend those fluid movements. About how those feet twirled, those arms stretched like the best exotic dancer.

Only those of Generation of Miracles level could see how this person could speak through basketball. How his movement showed the deep resentment in every single shot. Akashi could not understand how someone who did not even love the sport in the first place could show such strong emotion through it. He supposed there were some things outside of his understanding, after all. This person had just proved it.

When the person finally noticed Akashi, the redhead gave him a small smirk, knowing the person could see it. Akashi knew this was the person who he had been looking for, the infamous freshman with the unfathomable exceptionally skills.

Those orange eyes took in Akashi's appearance warily, as if the redhead was not supposed to see that. _That_ being the most vulgar and yet so stunning play Akashi had ever seen.

"What do you want?"

Akashi only smiled, a tiny predatory smile, "Your unwavering loyalty."

The person tightened his grip on the ball, "I could never give that to anyone. I must not be loyal to anyone, not when there are so many who had theirs placed on me. Go away."

Akashi's answer was the full-blown predatory grin. This person was most definitely intriguing. That answer was not from someone who was ignorant about whom he was facing. This person knew he was playing with fire, and he played with such expertise that Akashi found himself tingling with uncovered anticipation.

"Alright, how about a name?"

Orange eyes looked up towards Akashi's hetero pair ones. The person looked genuinely surprised. The orange hues startlingly turned darker, until Akashi's soft gasp broke the silence. Akashi would know those eyes anywhere. There was only one person with such exquisite brown hues.

"Sawada?"

XXX

Two years from then on, one could find a redhead and a brunet playing the traditional shogi game in a vacant classroom. In the end, Akashi never got to understand the reason behind Sawada's profound skills and why he hid it. Sure, there was that occasional reason, which either bored or tired of trying, but Akashi knew there was more to it. He did not push the issue, and promoted the brunet to one of the regulars' position during their second year. Snatching the victory from Seirin and keeping it until this year was surprisingly enjoyable.

Sawada's first debut as the regular definitely threw the other teams off, especially Too. Wakamatsu and Daiki looked really perplexed when the small and petit brunet stepped into the court as one of the players. If not for Akashi's warning glare, they'd have definitely told the referee that a middle-schooler was not allowed in high school matches.

And then there was also Ryouta's newfound crush on Akashi's favourite regular. Apparently the blond was turned down by Tetsuya. The phantom player already had his hands full with the two basketball idiots fighting over him almost every chance they got. Akashi still found it amusing when Sawada was asked by Haizaki for a date. Haizaki's first sentence after Akashi asked how the date went was:

"He stripped me off my manliness. I look like a fucking girl compared to him the whole time. Isn't he supposed to be the uke-ish and arousing type when off courts? No, he just has to bring out his 'demon-mode' and be the fucking gentleman."

Of course Akashi knew that would happen. Why else would he allow the man to take Sawada to a date? Somehow, one way or another, Sawada knew about Haizaki's history with Akashi and his former teammates and decided the bastard needed a good punch or two. But Akashi knew it was mostly for Tetsuya. The brunet had a hidden soft spot for the phantom player, after all.

Akashi wanted to continue his musing about the past, but the game had ended.

"My win, Tsunayoshi, again." Akashi could not stop the satisfied smirk. If there was one game that he would never lose to against the brunet, it would be the current game that had the brunet groaning.

"Why is it that I could never scrap even a win against you? And we've played for two years already."

"I've been playing shogi for as long as I can remember." Of course not.

"Oh, right, I forgot." But Sawada need not to know that.

It was certainly fulfilling with Sawada as his vice-captain for the third year, fellow teammate for the second year, and unofficial 'Ryouta' with Akashi as the 'Tetsuya' for the first year. While his Teiko days was something that every member of Generation of Miracles would definitely treasure the most including himself, Akashi wanted to call this his Sawada days. His three years of experience handling the enigma and yet so simple Sawada was something not everyone could handle.

Two years later, Akashi found out why Sawada 'hid' himself during first year. Apparently, Sawada simply was _never_ interested in sports. And yet, the mystery about his skills was never to be known. Forever, and ever. Not even when Akashi indulged the brunet with a bruising kiss. Or even with a romantic dinner. And not even the sweet honeymoon in Indonesia five years later could budge Tsunayoshi from giving the answer that had Akashi pondering for years.


End file.
